iPhoto News November 2026: Sigma FP2, Sirui, Canon Prices

Welcome to the first iPhoto News of November. The camera everybody was talking about this fortnight was the Sigma FP2, a full-frame body small enough to sit in a coat pocket, and it goes on sale on 11 November.

There are six stories this time. After the FP2 there's a pair of $149 autofocus lenses from Sirui, a warning from Canon about camera prices next year, the winners of the world's biggest panoramic photography competition, a new hybrid instant camera from Fujifilm and two new awards at World Press Photo.

Sigma's FP2 squeezes a full-frame sensor into a pocket-sized body

Sigma announced the FP2 on 22 October. It has a 24.5-megapixel full-frame sensor and weighs about 460g with its battery and memory card fitted, which makes it one of the smallest full-frame cameras you can buy.

The sensor reads out much faster than the one in the original fp from 2019, and the camera can shoot at up to 20 frames a second. The rear screen now tilts, which the first fp's screen didn't.

What interests me is everything Sigma left out to keep it that small. There's no stabilisation built into the body for stills, no mechanical shutter and no hot shoe unless you buy the add-on unit. The viewfinder is an optional extra too.

So who is it for? If you want a full-frame camera you'll actually carry every day, and you're happy to hold it steady or use a lens with stabilisation built in, it makes a lot of sense. If you're buying your first proper camera, I'd steer you towards a body with a built-in viewfinder and stabilisation, because both make learning easier.

The body costs $2,199 in the US and goes on sale on 11 November.

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Sirui's new autofocus primes cost $149 each

Sirui has announced the Swift 20mm F/2.4 and the Swift 40mm F/2.2, two small autofocus lenses priced at $149 each. They come in Sony E, L-Mount and Fujifilm X fittings and weigh about 210g.

Both lenses keep a manual focus ring and a proper aperture ring, which a lot of budget autofocus lenses have dropped. On a full-frame camera a 40mm gives you roughly the view your own eyes see, so it's a good everyday lens for street pictures, portraits and travel. The 20mm suits landscapes and interiors.

Canon warns that camera prices may rise next year

Canon published its latest financial results on 27 October. In the question and answer session afterwards, it told investors that if memory chips stay expensive into next year, it will pass those higher costs on through price increases.

Memory has become much dearer because AI data centres are buying so much of it, and every camera needs it. Canon didn't say which products or how much. If you've been saving for a particular camera or lens, though, I'd keep an eye on its price over the next few months rather than assume it will come down.

A volcano panorama wins the Epson International Pano Awards

Spanish photographer Daniel Viñé Garcia has been named Open Photographer of the Year at the 17th Epson International Pano Awards. His winning picture, The Sleeping Giant, shows Parinacota Volcano in Chile and was made as a 360-degree aerial panorama from 33 separate exposures.

The Amateur Photographer of the Year title went to another Spaniard, Tomás Sánchez Ruiz, for Double Arch Over Stokksnes, taken in Iceland. The competition had 4,084 entries from 93 countries this year.

You don't need a drone to try this yourself. Shoot three or four overlapping frames of a wide view, turning on the spot and keeping the camera level, and most editing software will stitch them into one picture.

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Fujifilm's Instax Mini Evo 2 gets a much bigger screen

Fujifilm has announced the Instax Mini Evo 2, a hybrid camera that takes a digital picture and lets you choose which ones to print on Instax Mini film. The rear screen grows from 3 inches to 4.5 inches, and a new Immersive Movie mode records the four seconds before each photo, as long as you've put in a microSD card.

It keeps the 10 lens effects and 10 film effects of the first model, and it's due at the end of November for about $290 in the US. Being able to look at the picture before you print it makes instant photography far less expensive while you're learning what works.

World Press Photo adds nature and sports awards for 2027

World Press Photo will give three Nature Awards and three Sports Awards in its 2027 contest. They aren't separate categories to enter, because the jury will choose them from the single pictures and stories sent in from every region.

The organisers say nature and sport have appeared less often among the winners since the contest moved to a regional format in 2022. Entries open on 1 December, and the full entry rules are due on 3 November.

Final Thoughts

That's your fortnight. For me the Pano Awards winners are the ones to remember, because a panorama is something you can try this weekend with the camera you already own.

Tell me in the comments whether a pocket-sized full-frame camera like the FP2 would tempt you, or whether you'd rather keep your viewfinder. I'll be back in two weeks with the next edition.